Magnolia to release Lindholm’s ‘Hijacking’

Pic won aud award in AFI Fest's New Auteurs section

LONDON — Magnolia has nabbed North American rights to writer-helmer Tobias Lindholm’s hostage thriller “A Hijacking,” which won the audience award in the New Auteurs section of AFI Fest last week.

The pic, which toplines Soren Malling, Pilou Asbaek and Dar Salim (“Game of Thrones”), centers on the crew of a Danish cargo ship that is captured by Somali pirates. Action alternates between tensions onboard and in the Copenhagen negotiation chamber.

Magnolia is planning a second quarter 2013 theatrical release for the film, which is repped in international markets by TrustNordisk.

“A Hijacking,” which is Lindholm’s second feature as director, world preemed at Venice and also played at Toronto. Malling won the award for actor at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival, while the pic itself took the top prize and the Fipresci international critics’ award at the Thessaloniki Film Festival.

The film is produced by Tomas Radoor and Rene Ezra for Nordisk Film, and is backed by the Danish Film Institute, Danish Broadcasting Corporation and Nordic Film and TV Fund.

Lindholm made his directorial debut with hard-bitten prison drama “R” in 2010. His credits as a scribe include the political drama series “Borgen,” and two films written with Dogma 95 co-founder Thomas Vinterberg, “Submarino” and “The Hunt.”

The deal was negotiated between Susan Wendt, head of sales at TrustNordisk, and Magnolia’s senior VP of acquisitions, Dori Begley.